Clemens honors 451st Civil Affairs Battalion

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Praising them for their teamwork and service, Roger Clemens honored the local 451st Civil Affairs Battalion for their recent deployment to Afghanistan as the guest speaker for the Army Reserve unit’s Welcome Home Warrior presentation at Ellington Airfield on Saturday.

“I want to thank you men and women for what you do and who you are,” Clemens said. “Again, I played this game at the highest levels for 24 years and consider myself the ultimate teammate.

“You guys are the ultimate team. I really appreciate that very much. Thank you guys very much. Congratulations and keep doing what you’re doing.”

Clemens arrived at Ellington about an hour before the ceremony, spending most of the time before the event addressing the soldiers who received the Welcome Home Warrior Citizen Awards.

The former Astros, Red Sox, Yankee and Blue Jays righthander posed for pictures and signed baseballs, pictures and even the ceremony’s program that was given to the guests.

“When I look at Mr. Clemens, I look at somebody that has always pursued excellence,” said General Mark McQueen, who has 1,700 soldiers from Puerto Rico to Fort Bliss under his command in the 350th Civil Affairs Command. “I’m looking at my soldiers, and they’re always refining their skills in the pursuit of excellence. He gives us a great example to follow and emulate in terms of working hard and keeping that work ethic. And at the end of the day you achieve victory.

“Mr. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards. All of the accolades he has received over his remarkable career are no different from our soldiers who get promoted and who get these personal decorations that they’ll receive today.”

Led by Maj. Michael J. Creedon, 32 soldiers from the 451st were deployed to Afghanistan for nine months. They returned from their deployment in May 2012. On Saturday the battalion presented 13 soldiers with the Welcome Home Warrior Citizen Award, which is awarded to reservists after their first deployment.

Clemens, whose older brother Randy served in the Army, told the troops how he watched the Twin Towers fall on Sept. 11, 2001, from his apartment in New York City.

He also drew laughs from the soldiers and their families when he told them how Derek Jeter reminded President George W. Bush not to bounce the ceremonial first pitch minutes before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series because the fans in the Bronx would boo him.

On a more serious note, Clemens described the pride he felt in December 2002 when he and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, visited troops in Qatar, Kuwait, Afghanistan and on the USS Constellation in the Persian Gulf.

“I considered myself a great team player over the years I played, and these men and women are the ultimate team,” he said. “There’s no question about it. You talk about covering each other and covering each other’s backs, that’s what it’s all about.

“I love their discipline and I love how they’re organized. They know what they’re doing, and you can only appreciate that.”

Clemens is no stranger to the 451st. He also was a guest speaker for the Battalion in 2005 when they were honored in a private ceremony held at Minute Maid Park after part of the group returned from a deployment in Iraq.

“To know that even the people at the upper levels of our society appreciate what we do makes it easier for us to go out and fight for our country,” 1st Sgt. Tommy Jenkins said after taking a picture with Clemens. “He’s an icon. The fact that he played for the Astros and represented our city and our state, he’s just a great icon of Houston, Texas.”